318 LAND-BIRDS AND GAME-BIRDS 



the tree, near the spot where the male was at work, if he 

 moved, it was only to return immediately. He escaped appar- 

 ently^ uninjured and continued for some time to dig out a hole 

 in the trunk, for what purpose I am uncertain, as this was on 

 the 4th of October, and on the following day he disappeared. 

 If an)' of our woodpeckers are injurious, this species (including 

 the next variety) is the only one. The Yellow-bellied Wood- 

 peckers are well known to strip off the bark of various trees, 

 not to obtain insects so often as to feed upon the inner bark. 

 Sometimes, like the Downy Woodpeckers, they bore deep holes, 

 especially in orchard-trees, whence they have been called " sap- 

 suckers." They feed upon berries, and quite often, in common 

 with other members of their family, catch insects in the man- 

 ner of flj'catchers, by darting at them from a perch. Their 

 tongue is peculiarly constructed, and they cannot obtain an 

 abundance of food in the characteristic manner of their tribe. 

 They do not, however, so far as I know, ever seek it on the 

 ground, though the}' sometimes visit fallen logs. They fly in 

 undulations and rarely very far. Among the White Moun- 

 tains, they may be seen not only in the woods, where removed 

 from civilization, but also not unfrequently along the^ road- 

 sides. 



(rf). Their ordinary note is an indescribable whine, like 

 a puppy's moan, though Mr. Maynard thought that their 

 alarm-note closely resembled that of the Blue Jay. But many 

 of our woodpeckers delight in a music peculiarly their own, 

 yet not unlike the drumming of the Ruffed Grouse. In spring, 

 alighting on some tree, particularly one which is somewhat 

 hollow and resonant, the)' rap loudly. The male and female 

 often do this in response to one another, and it is, almost un- 

 doubtedly, a love-note. It is the only music which our wood- 

 peckers can produce, and it is for them by far the easiest way 

 of expressing their affection. 



JSJn/rcqncus varius var. michalis, so-called, the Red-napcd or 

 Red-throated Woodpecker, is probabl)- an abnormal form, or a 

 distinct species, or else iis occurrence in New England must 

 be quite accidental. The last is probably the case, as it is 



